Ethiopia the beautiful is the product of the people, not the government. Governments come and go. The people remain. The people guarantee the reality of TRUE ETHIPIAWINET. The people are the guardians of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is special for it represents the people. The people assure the future of Ethiopia. Therefore, there is no need to debate the identity of Ethiopia and thereby lack a reference point in our effort to move forward. We do miss the point and create confusion if we attempt to put Ethiopia on trial.

A case in point is the fact that some choose to put the identity of Ethiopia on a test by not embracing TRUE ETHIOPIAWINET. This questions Ethiopia – which in turn questions the Ethiopian people. The problem with this is that the test is based in reaction to the performance of governments instead of the nature of the Ethiopian people. In addition, it is a pseudo test because it’s outcome is solely at the mercy of governments and not the people. Its side effect is its capacity to stifle the effort of the people working in peaceful dialogue towards creating a more perfect union in diversity based on equality.

We need to put the government on a test, instead of putting the identity of Ethiopia on a test. The fate of the government should be in question based on its performance in realizing social justice to all. When fairness fails to be realized in Ethiopia, the government should risk its existence instead of us putting the identity of Ethiopia at risk. It should be the duty of the government to allow the reality of the decency and fairness of the people to shine truly.

The TRUE ETHIOPIAWINET is the PEOPLE’s identity (who we truly are without the mask of the governments effects). This has never been known and thus should not have been on trial or be on a test. Instead, the task needs to be that we start a journey of being known as we true are.

TRUE ETHIOPAIWINET is not something that happens to us. It is who we are. And it is beautiful. This reality speaks about the people. Our task should be to take off the mask (effects of governments) and reveal what lies beneath, the reality of we the people as we truly are. That is when we would come to know the TRUE ETHIPIAWINET we never knew.

Start everything with the proposition that the Ethiopian people are decent, true, fair and just. We are people with good hearts that never got a chance to shine our TRUE ETHIOPIAWINET as we truly are. Begin with the reality of the people – that we are family.

Let our vision become our aspiration to be known as we truly are. We know we are fair and just people. We know our diversity is our beauty and asset. We know equality is the DNA of TRUE ETHIOPIAWINET. We have a long way to apply our potential. Our vision is to realize our potential as a people to its fullest as never before.

Let our priority focus on discovering our true identity as we truly are. Once we know who we are, that becomes our motivation for our actions. For that, we don’t look at the mask (effects of governments). We look at the people as truly are. Our motivation is not fear. It is love. It is not mistrust. It is trust. We know ourselves that we are more than what history has made us to be. The question is not that we may become Ethiopians, but we are already Ethiopians at the onset with a purpose to realize who we truly are.

The unity of the people is not the result of laws. It is our inherent ability to stick together. As the people shift from the image of the mask (effects of governments) to the image of the reality of the people – Ethiopia shines. To this end, instead of questioning TRUE ETHIOPIAWINET (the PEOPLE’S identity), let’s put our effort in discovering and unpacking our true identity and start living them out to the amazement of the watching world.

In conclusion, instead of experimenting with Ethiopia’s identity, let’s experiment with this idea called One Africa. Let us all embrace Ethiopia that was the pride of Africa and work towards making Ethiopia the hope of Africa.

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Zelalem Eshete, Ph.D.ethioStudy@gmail.com

Book on EthiopiaThis book makes a case for a paradigm shift in our thinking on the matter of Ethiopia. Instead of feeling powerless in our usual political saga, ethnic divide, and religious tensions, the book motivates us to look deeper, rediscover our true identity, and arise to make change. The greater power of change is with the people.

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